Rotary lawn sprinkler



March 23, 1943. ,-J. E. HIGGINS t ?,314'.702v ,ROTARY LAWN SPRINKLER Filed Jam, 1941 @E Hyg/'#8 WTNES:

Patented Mar. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROTARY LAWN SPRINKLER Joseph E. Higgins, Grand Island, Nebr.

Application January 8, 1941, Serial No. 373,685

3 Claims.

The invention relates to`-a new and improved sprinkler for lawns and other areas, of a type in which water discharged from a nozzle of the sprinkler rotor acts against an oblique delector to rotate said rotor.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler of the stated type in which the Obliquity of the delector with respect to the nozzle is automatically varied by the strength of the Water stream discharged against said deiiector, and in which, Whether spraying small or large areas, said Obliquity is always such that said deector will bend the water stream only to the required extent for slowly .rotating the rotor, instead of wasting water pressure to violently whirl said rotor at the sacrifice of area sprayed.

A further object is to provide a simple, inexpensive and eilicient structure which will be trouble-free.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying drawmg. Y

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one form of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of the outer end of one of the nozzles and the associated deiiector.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the parts illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section on line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a top plan view showing a modified formV of construction.

With the exception of the deecting means, the rotary sprinkler may be conventional. For illustrative purposes, a sprinkler is shown having a base 6 with a hose connection 1, and a rotor 8 suitably mounted on said base, said rotor having oppositely projecting water discharge nozzles 9, the outer ends of which are preferably inclined to some extent. The number of nozzles may of course vary and the invention is applicable to sprinklers having only one of said nozzles, should a single-nozzle construction be desired. As the deflectors I0 are of the same construction and associated in the same way with their respective nozzles, regardless of the number of the latter, a

description of one deilector and the nozzle with which it coacts, will suffice.

The deector I0 is in the form of a substantially vertical plate which is disposed obliquely with respect to the nozzle 9, in position to be struck by the stream of water discharged from said nozzle, to cause rotation of the rotor 8, said plate being preferably curved transversely to some extent, as shown. The delector IIJ is pivotally mounted on the nozzle 9 upon a substantially vertical axis, permitting said deector to swing to diierent oblique relations with respect to said nozzle, and I provide yieldable means for urging said deector toward its minimum angle with respect to said nozzle, said means being yieldable to allow the deflector to swing toward its maximum angle With respect to said nozzle under the influence of the Water discharged against said deflector. Thus, when relatively little water pressure is turned on at the faucet to spray only a comparatively small area, the defiector will move little from what may be considered its normal relation with the nozzle (see Figure 3). Therefore, even though relatively low water pressure is being directed against said deector, the water will be so bent that it will exert sufficient back pressure to cause rotation of the rotor 8 at a reasonable speed to properly distributel the Water. However, when more water pressure is turned on to spray a comparatively large area, this Water pressure will swing the deector I0 to quite an extent toward its maximum angle with respect to the nozzle 9. There fore, the deector does not bend the discharged water as much and does not, therefore, interfere with projection of the discharged stream a relatively great distance from the sprinkler. Moreover, the angle of the deilector with respect to the nozzle is then only such as is required to cause the rotor 8 to turn at a vreasonable speed. No water pressure isr thus wasted in violently rotating the rotor at the sacrifice of area sprayed.

In the form' of construction illustrated in Figures l to 4, the inner or mounting portion of the deector I0 is provided with upper and lower laterally bent pivot lugs II and I2 respectively, and the nozzle 9 is provided with a vertically elongated bearing I3 at the ends of which said lugs are disposed. A vertical pin I4 passes through the bearing I3 and through the lugs II and I2 to pivotally mount the delector upon the nozzle. A coiled spring I5 surrounds one end portion of the bearing I3, said spring acting against the aforesaid mounting portion of the deflector Il) and reacting against the nozzle 9 to always urge said deflector toward its minimum angle with respect to said nozzle, said spring of course constituting, in the present disclosure, the yieldable means above referred to. I have shown one end of the spring I5 hooked at I6 around an edge of the deflector I0, and the other end of said spring suitably connected at I'l with the nozzle 9. For limiting the movement of the deector IIJ under the influence of the spring I5, I have illustrated a stop boss i8 on said deflector to strike the tip of the nozzle 9, and to limit the swing of said deilector under the water pressure, I have disclosed an inwardly projecting stop lug I9 on said deflector to strike one side of the nozzle.

In the modication shown inFig. 5, the. mounting portion of the two deflectors Il]Bv are constituted by the two arms of a lever 2U which extends diametrically of the rotor 8, said lever bel with the axis on which said rotor turns. able spring 22 is shown for urging the lever 20 toward the position in which the deectors lll1 occupy their minimum angle with respect to the nozzles 9, said spring, however, permitting swinging of said lever and deilectors, undel` the action of the discharged water, toward the position in which said deflectors occupy their maximum angle with respect tosaid nozzles. The action of the modification shown in Figure 5 is the same as the'action of the structure -shown in Figures 1 to 4, the difference being principally one in the manner of mounting the deflectors.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects of the invention. While preferred features of construction have been illustrated, variations may of course be made l within the scope of the invention as claimed. -v

I claim: l

l. In combination with a lawn sprinkler having a rotor provided with a substantially radial water discharge nozzle; a deiiector oblique to said nozzle and positioned to be struck by the water discharged therefrom to cause rotation of said rotor, means mounting said deector on said rotor upon a substantially vertical pivotal axis to allow said delector to occupy different oblique positions with respect to said nozzle, yieldable means acting on said deector and reacting on said rotor for urging said deector toward its minimum angle with respect to said nozzle, said means being yieldable to allow the deector to swing toward its maximum angle with respect to the nozzle, under the influence of the water discharged against said def'lector, said defiector having upper and lower laterally projecting pivot lugsy said nozzle being provided with a bearing at the ends of which said lugs are disposed, and a pin pivotally connecting said lugs with said bearing, said lugs, bearing and pin constituting the aforesaid deflector-mounting means.

2. In combination with a lawn sprinkler having a rotor provided with two nozzles projecting in opposite directions and disposed substantially radially; a lever extending diametrically of said rotor and having deflectors at its ends oblique to said nozzles and positioned to be struck by the water discharged therefrom to cause rotation of said`rotor, a pivot alined with the axis of rotation of said rotor and connecting said lever with said rotor to allow said lever and defiectors to swing and thus dispose said deflectors in different oblique positions with respect to said nozzles,

Iand spring means acting on said lever and reacting pivoted at 2| to said rotor on an axis alined u A suit` ing on said rotor for urging said lever toward the position in which said deflectors occupy their minimum angle with respect to said nozzles, said spring means being yieldable under the infiuence of the water discharged against said deectors .to

allow the water to swing said lever and deflectors toward the position in which the latter occupy their maximum angle with respect to said nozzles.

3. In combination with a lawn sprinkler having a rotor provided with a substantially radial water discharge nozzle; a deflector having a single water-deflecting portion contiguous to and oblique to said nozzle and positioned to be struck by the water discharged therefrom .to cause rotation of said rotor, said water-deflecting portion having a free outer end, said deector being devoid of encumbrances between said water-de-v ilecting portion and said nozzle, said deector being provided with a mounting portion joined to the inner end of said water-deecting portion, means mounting said mounting portion of said deflector on said rotor upon a substantially vertical pivotal axis to allow said deflector to swing and dispose said water-deiiecting portion in different oblique positions with respect to said nozzle, and a spring surrounding the delector pivot, said spring having one arm connected directly with said mounting portion of said deflector and another arm connected directly with said rotor, said spring urging said deector in a direction to position said deflecting portion at its minimum angle with respect to said nozzle, said spring being yieldable to allow said deilector to move in the opposite direction to one position or another under the influence of the water discharged against said deecting portionl said spring and the action of the water against said deflecting portion serving to hold said deflector against oscillation upon its pivot during rotation of said rotor, whereby said rotor will rotate continuously at a uniform speed.

JOSEPH E. HIGGINS. -v 

